Warisheh Moradi has been sentenced to death for armed rebellion (baghi) by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. The verdict was notified to her lawyers on 10 November. Moradi, a member of the Free Women’s Organisation of East Kurdistan (KJAR), was arrested on 1 August 2023 and is currently being held in Evin Women’s Prison. The sentence follows a sham trial in which she was denied the right to a defence.
During previous court sessions, on 16 June and 26 October 2024, Moradi was denied the right to defend herself and her lawyers prevented from presenting a defence. The lawyers, who had previously been denied access to her case file, were given only a few hours to review it after the second session. The death sentence was handed down to Moradi following charges under Article 287 of the Iranian Penal Code, which prescribes the death penalty for ‘members of any group that stages armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic of Iran’.
According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Moradi has been detained since 1 August 2023. She was initially disappeared without any information provided about her condition. Moradi was held in solitary confinement for five months and subjected to severe duress to force her to make a ‘confession’. She was finally transferred to Tehran’s Evin prison at the end of December last year.
Warisheh Moradi, known as a strong campaigner for women’s rights, had been protesting from Evin prison and writing letters to the public about the conditions of all political prisoners. She was severely beaten during a prison raid in August and denied medical treatment. In October, she embarked on a 20-day hunger strike to protest against Iran’s indiscriminate use of the death penalty, harsh prison conditions and systemic injustices. Her resistance attracted support from groups around the world, who recognise her as a leading figure and a symbol of resistance in the Iranian movement for women’s freedom.
KJAR issued a statement following the death sentence. They condemned the anti-women policies of the Iranian state and Moradi’s inhumane treatment during imprisonment, culminating in the death sentence. They also called for a united front and continuation of the struggle against the Iranian regime, on the basis of the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadi’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) protests sparked in Iran and worldwide.
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